Stainless rebar dramatically extends life expectancy

By using a combination of stainless steel and carbon rebar during construction, the life expectancy of a structure can be extended by a factor of ten.

About the author

Joanne McIntyre is the Editor in Chief of Stainless Steel World magazine, and Conference Coordinator for the Duplex Seminar & Summit.

Earlier this year I travelled to India for the first time. As it was a business trip there were no opportunities to visit the tourist routes and see some of the sights for which this country is so famous, but nevertheless I came away with some very strong impressions of the country. Several times it was impressed upon me how dramatically Mumbai has changed, even within the past five years. Massive investments in infrastructure have seen the construction of highways, bridges, airports and countless other much-needed facilities. As far as stainless steels are concerned this is a booming market with huge potential. A particularly interesting application I heard about was the use of stainless steel and duplex materials in construction rebar.

Stainless steel and duplex rebar has enormous potential to extend the life of structures and reduce maintenance. Life cycle cost is dramatically improved. One of the cleverest ways to use this is to combine it with standard carbon steel rebar for structures in warm coastal/marine environments. By using stainless steel rebar in the outer part 2% of the structure and carbon steel rebar for the rest, the life expectancy of a structure can be extended by an astonishing factor of ten; ie. from 20-30 years to 200-300 years!

There are both local and foreign companies producing locally, active in India who are able to supply this material and certainly the market is large enough to ensure that there is sufficient demand for everyone.

It’s just another example of how stainless steels serve humanity as a sustainable, economic solution to enhance our lives and living environment.